April 24, 2024 – Khon Kaen University signed an MOU with Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) to collaboratively conduct research on rubber and to support students under the cooperative education program to have a chance to work with the company. The end result will be the development of Thailand’s and Japan’s rubber industries. Signing on KKU’s part was Prof. Thidarat Boonmars, Ph.D., Vice President for Innovation and Enterprise, while signing on Sumitomo’s part was Dr. Toshio Tada, Office Head, Next Generation Materials R&D Office. The ceremony took place at Conference Room 1, Building 8, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) will be supporting Khon Kaen University in research grant, which is to be on the topic of MC rubber trees. Assoc. Prof. Supat Issarangkoon Na Ayudhya, Ph.D., is the head of the research project that is aimed to study the physiological change of the rubber trees that have been bred by tissue culture and those bred by budding, to see their growth, their release of water and certain nutrition matter. The result will lead to appropriate breeding in the future.
At the MOU signing ceremony, Assoc. Prof. Darunee Jothityangkoon, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture also joined and welcomed the attendants, with a group of lecturers from the Department of Horticulture. In addition, from Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), Dr. Lucksanaporn Tarachiwin, Mr. Noriyuki Onozuka and Mr. Adisak Khotchomphu, attended as witnesses.
Assoc. Prof. Darunee Jothityangkoon, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture said, “Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) and Khon Kaen University entered the MOU to collaborate in research and develop the quality of graduates of Khon Kaen University. Students will have a chance to work with the company under the cooperative education program. The research collaboration in rubber will be part of the development of the rubber industries of Thailand and Japan in the future.”
News: Jiraporn Pratomchai
